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Sura Lxviii. Qalam, Or The Pen, Or Nun

*
"The Holy Quran", tr. by Yusuf Ali, [1934],

p. 1585

Sra Lxviii.

\"QALAM," Or The Pen, Or \"NN".

In the name of God, Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

1.
\"Nn." By the Pen

And by the (Record)

Which (men) write,--

2.
Thou art not,

By the grace of thy Lord,

Mad or possessed.

3.
Nay, verily for thee

Is a Reward unfailing:

4.
And thou (standest)

On an exalted standard

Of character.

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5.
Soon wilt thou see,

And they will see,

6.
Which of you is

Afflicted with madness.

7.
Verily it is thy Lord

That knoweth best,

Which (among men)

Hath strayed from His Path:


And He knoweth best

Those who receive

(True) Guidance.

8.
So hearken not

To those who

Deny (the Truth),

9. Their desire is that

Thou shouldst be pliant:


So would they be pliant.

10.
Heed not the type

Of despicable man,--

Ready with oaths,

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11. A
slanderer, going about

With calumnies,

12.
(Habitually) hindering (all) good,

Transgressing beyond bounds,

Deep in sin,

13.
Violent (and cruel),--

With all that, base-born,--

14.
Because he possesses

Wealth and (numerous) sons.

15.
When to him are rehearsed

Our Signs,

"Tales of the Ancients",

He cries!

16.
Soon shall We brand

(The beast) on the snout!

17.
Verily We have tried them

As We tried the People

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Of the Garden,

When they resolved to gather

The fruits of the (garden)

In the morning,

18.
But made no reservation,

("If it be God's Will").

19.
Then there came

On the (garden)

A visitation from thy Lord,

(Which swept away) all around,

While they were asleep.

20.
So the (garden) became,

By the morning, like

A dark and desolate spot,

(Whose fruit had been gathered).

21.
As the morning broke,

They called out,

One to another,--

22.
\"Go ye to your tilth

(Betimes) in the morning,

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If ye would gather

The fruits."

23.
So they departed, conversing

In secret low tones, (saying)--

24.
\"Let not a single indigent

Person break in upon you

Into the (garden) this day."

25.
And they opened the morning,

Strong in an (unjust) resolve.

26. But when they saw

The (garden), they said:


"We have surely lost our way:

27.
\"Indeed we are shut out

(Of the fruits of our labour)!"

28. Said one of them,

More just (than the rest):


"Did I not say to you,

"Why not glorify (God)?"

29.
They said: "Glory

To our Lord! Verily we

Have been doing wrong!
"

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30.
Then they turned, one

Against another, in reproach.

31.
They said: "Alas for us!

We have indeed transgressed!

32.
\"It may be that our Lord

Will give us in exchange

A better (garden) than this:


For we do turn to Him

(In repentance)!"

33.
Such is the Punishment

(In this life); but greater

Is the Punishment

In the Hereafter,--

If only they knew!

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Section 2.

34.
Verily, for the Righteous,

Are Gardens of Delight,

In the Presence

Of their Lord.

35.
Shall We then treat

The People of Faith

Like the People of Sin?

36.
What is the matter

With you? How judge ye?

37.
Or have ye a Book

Through which ye learn--

38.
That ye shall have,

Through it whatever

Ye choose?

39.
Or have ye Covenants

With Us on oath,

Reaching to the Day

Of Judgment, (providing)

That ye shall have

Whatever ye shall demand?

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40.
Ask thou of them,

Which of them will stand

Surety for that!

41.
Or have they some

"Partners" (in Godhead)?

Then let them produce

Their "partners",

If they are truthful!

42.
The Day that the Shin

Shall be laid bare,

And they shall be summoned

To bow in adoration,

But they shall not be able,--

43.
Their eyes will be

Cast down,--ignominy will

Cover them; seeing that

They had been summoned

Aforetime to bow in adoration,

While they were whole,

(And had refused).

44.
Then leave Me alone

With such as reject

This Message: by degrees

Shall We punish them

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From directions they perceive not.

45. A
(long) respite will I

Grant them: truly

Powerful is My Plan.

46.
Or is it that thou dost

Ask them for a reward,

So that they are burdened

With a load of debt?--

47.
Or that the Unseen

Is in their hands, so that

They can write it down?

48.
So wait with patience

For the Command

Of thy Lord, and be not

Like the Companion

Of the Fish,--when he

Cried out in agony.

49.
Had not Grace

From His Lord

Reached him, he

Would indeed have been

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Cast off on the naked

Shore, in disgrace.

50.
Thus did his Lord

Choose him and make him

Of the company

Of the Righteous.

51.
And the Unbelievers

Would almost trip thee up

With their eyes when they

Hear the Message; and they

Say: "Surely he is possessed!"

52.
But it is nothing less

Than a Message

To all the worlds.

p. 1595

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